Nicaragua Demographics

Population of Nicaragua (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Nicaragua

Nicaragua Population
7,007,502
see live
Yearly Change
+1.32%
Global Share
0.09%
Global Rank
109

Median Age

The median age in Nicaragua is 26 years (2025).

Fertility in Nicaragua

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
2.2
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Nicaragua

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
75.3
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
77.7
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
72.6
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Nicaragua


Infant Mortality
10.5
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
12.8
(per 1,000 live births)


Nicaragua Urban Population

Currently, 58.1% of the population of Nicaragua is urban (4,071,293 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Nicaragua is 58 people per Km2 (151 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 120,340 Km2 (46,464 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Nicaragua

# City Population
1 Managua 973,087
2 Leon 144,538
3 Masaya 130,113
4 Chinandega 126,387
5 Matagalpa 109,089
6 Esteli 96,422
7 Granada 89,409
8 Mateare 61,234
9 Jinotega 55,000
10 El Viejo 53,504
11 Nueva Guinea 52,929
12 Ciudad Sandino 50,000
13 Tipitapa 50,000
14 Juigalpa 50,000
15 Bluefields 44,373
16 Diriamba 35,008
17 Ocotal 33,928
18 Puerto Cabezas 33,635
19 Chichigalpa 33,137
20 Rivas 30,000
21 San Rafael del Sur 29,836
22 Jinotepe 29,507
23 Boaco 29,046
24 Nagarote 26,270
25 Jalapa 24,037
26 La Paz Centro 23,481
27 San Marcos 23,347
28 Masatepe 21,452
29 Nandaime 20,810
30 Rama 20,456

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.